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Charter Communications and The Walt Disney Company have inked a comprehensive, multi-year carriage renewal agreement that spans more than 20 cable channels and
“contemplates” Charter’s future distribution of Disney’s streaming services, including Hulu, ESPN+ and the soon-to-come Disney+.

“The agreement sets a blueprint for Disney to provide incentives to Charter to market Disney+ and ESPN+ as stand-alone
broadband offerings — given that premium content offerings can be a way to help Charter market its broadband service,” notes Variety. “It also allows for future discussions about Charter integrating both apps into its
latest set-top boxes, as Comcast has done with Netflix.”

The just-announced bundle that will include Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ “will
still be an attractive option for cord-cutters,” but “cable TV is still a vital contributor to Disney's bottom line,” adds Engadget. “By securing a carriage deal with Charter, Disney will be able to
play a vital role in shaping the future of both streaming and cable TV."